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Big Response to WKCTC’s Open House

Maritime Activity Reports, Inc.

August 13, 2015

 

More than 100 city officials, educators, community members, and representatives from the river industry attended West Kentucky Community and Technical College’s open house and ribbon cutting for its Inland Logistics and Marine Institute (ILMI) August 10.

Visitors toured the recently renovated 8,000 square-foot facility located at 631 Marine Way between local river businesses and Paducah's downtown. The building includes classrooms, a state-of-the-art radar lab, diesel lab, video lab and five offices.

“WKCTC’s Inland Logistics and Marine Institute will allow students the opportunity to train using the latest technology as well as providing a training venue to serve the local maritime and transportation industry,” said Troy Courtney, WKCTC’s ILMI director. “The goal of the ILMI is to provide the training needed to make our students successful, and ensure that the training our students are receiving meets the needs of business and industry.”

Courtney said the Institute will be a hub for WKCTC's marine technology and logistics and operations management programs, and will also provide tailor-made training and continuing education for the local river industry.

"The goal of our programs is simple," Courtney told the audience gathered in front of the Institute for the open house. "Providing students with the education and training needed to make them successful in their chosen fields, and ensure the education and training we provide is what the industry needs to continue their growth and success."

WKCTC has offered associate's degrees in marine technology and logistics and operations management online for several years. Those programs are now housed at the Institute, and students can earn an Associate in Applied Science degree in these programs, completely online. As part of the Mississippi River Transportation Distribution and Logistics (MRTDL) consortium made up of nine colleges in eight states along the Mississippi River, WKCTC was awarded by the U.S. Department of Labor a $2.75 million grant that has allowed it to further develop those programs as well as renovate and outfit the Institute.

Courtney said the new video lab at the Institute will enable the college to produce improved online content in-house and enhance WKCTC students' learning experience. Both the marine and logistics programs are available completely online – allowing more flexibility and convenience for student.

During the open house, officials highlighted the presence of a 3,000 horsepower, 40,000 pound, 17-foot-long diesel towboat engine donated by AEP River Operations for the college's diesel lab. The engine will allow students to get hands-on experience working with an actual diesel engine like they'd encounter on a typical riverboat. The diesel lab also offers pneumatic, hydraulic and electrical instrumentation simulators.

The radar lab offers eight, state-of-the-art pilot house simulation stations to help train students and river industry professionals in the safety of a classroom setting.

WKCTC has an agreement with Murray State University that will allow ILMI students to transfer directly into MSU's four-year logistics and supply chain management program after completing their first two years at WKCTC.

Since the U.S. Department of Labor awarded the $2.7 million dollar grant to WKCTC in October 2013, Troy said, “the lives of more than 700 students have been touched, and we are just getting started.”

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